


where the road leads us back

by Lalikaa



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, Future Fic, Post-Canon, Rush Valley
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:20:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21972730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lalikaa/pseuds/Lalikaa
Summary: Ed, Al, and Mei visit Winry for her birthday! Then, they all travel to Rush Valley together, where they meet up with both old friends and new!
Relationships: Edward Elric/Winry Rockbell, Mei Chan | May Chang/Alphonse Elric
Comments: 3
Kudos: 12





	where the road leads us back

“We’re home!” Ed and Al called as they walked through the door of Granny Pinako and Winry’s house one late spring afternoon.

“Ooh, I just love Amestres’ informal customs!” Mei said enthusiastically, Xiao-Mei bouncing slightly on her shoulder.

Al grinned at her as he gave her hand a squeeze. It had been nearly three years since Al had first left Amestres for Xing, and while he had been back to his home country several times to visit within that period, this was Mei’s first time, as she had finally found the opportunity to take a 2-week trip away from all her duties to her clan and the reshaping of the Xing empire. The new train project from Amestres to Xing that Major General Roy Mustang had pioneered had also certainly helped sway this decision. Mei had said that as she had already crossed the vast Xing desert on foot once, she was not so keen on doing it again.

In the hallway, they could hear Winry coming down the stairs. She proceeded to tackle-hug both brothers, then turned to Mei and embraced her in a decidedly gentler hug.

“I’m so glad you all made it out here okay!” Winry said brightly. She then gestured them to the sitting room.

“Where’s Granny?” Al asked as he sat down on the old, plush green couch, pulling Mei close to him.

“She’s out visiting friends!”

“She doesn’t know how to keep still, does she?” Ed asked, grinning.

“You’re one to talk, Edward!”

“Anyway! Happy Birthday, Winry!” Al said. “Even though we’re a day late, sorry about that.”

“Thanks! And don’t worry about it, I’m just so glad you could come at all!” Winry beamed. “How was your trip here?”

Ed, Al, and Mei all gave recounts of their journey over, with various stories thrown in of their recent travels.

Finally, Ed had the courage to bring up; “Y’know, so while we’re here, I thought I could ask a favor, _darling_.”

“ _Edward_ …”

Winry couldn’t finish her sentence as Ed had lifted up his left pants leg to reveal his automail, horribly worse-for-wear.

“How were you even walking on that?! What _happened_?” Winry exclaimed in a half-shriek of despair.

“Heeeere we go,” Al whispered to Mei.

“Well, y’know that fishing incident I sent you a letter about…”

“Where you caught a shark?” Winry said flatly.

“Uh, yeah.”

“And here I thought you came just to visit me for my birthday,” Winry said, annoyance now coloring her tone.

“Um… Can it be both?” Ed tried.

“You’re the worst.”

“That’s why you said ‘yes’ then, right?”

“We are NOT getting married until you can go without breaking your automail for more than six months.”

“Guess we’re never getting married, then,” Ed said, already ducking the book that had been laying on the coffee table Winry pelted at him.

“They’re not very romantic for fiancés,” Mei stage-whispered to Al.

“Not all couples can be as perfect as us, my love,” Al replied, wrapping his arm around her waist and giving her a peck on the forehead.

“See, Winry, this is Mei’s first time visiting Resembool, and you’re not showing much hospitality,” Ed said, for the sake of being obnoxious.

“You’re just a special case,” Winry said, rolling her eyes. To Al and Mei she said; “What can I get you two? I can turn the kettle on for tea, if you like!”

“Tea sounds great!” Al said enthusiastically, while Mei and Xiao-Mei nodded.

“I’ll help put it on!” Ed volunteered.

“Finally, you’ll be useful for _something_ ,” Winry said, pulling him into the kitchen with her.

“Oh, we should go and help too, then!” Mei said.

“Nah, let’s give them a bit. They’re _definitely_ going to make out,” Al said matter-of-factly.

“I’m… not sure I understand their relationship,” Mei said hesitantly.

“Eh, insulting each other is kinda like their, uh, their foreplay,” Al responded.

“ _Alphonse_!!”

\---

“Happy Birthday, babe,” Ed grinned, handing Winry four boxes of earrings that he’d pulled from his jacket pocket once they were in the kitchen. “You have to promise me to switch them, though! I still think 10 holes in each ear is a bit much.”

“But I want to wear earrings from each place you’ve been! And I’m _not_ taking the first pair that you and Al ever gave me out,” Winry said stubbornly.

“You sure are a sap, huh?” Ed grinned.

“Shut up, moron,” Winry said, pulling him into another kiss.

“Love you too,” Ed murmured.

Over the past three years, Ed had finally become more comfortable saying the L word to Winry, as through their countless letters to each other, they both signed with “Love”.

Their kisses were interrupted by the tea kettle shrieking and reluctantly, they broke apart.

“Al, Mei, tea’s almost ready!” Winry called out as she took the kettle off the stove.

“Coming!” They both replied.

Over tea, Winry asked Mei more about her impressions of traveling in Amestres and what she was most looking forward to doing.

“I should be asking you what you’d like to do, as it’s your birthday!” Mei put in.

“I’m already doing what I’d like to do,” Winry said warmly. “I’m so happy you’re all here.”

“Still, we should do _something_ ,” Ed said seriously. “You’re certainly not getting any younger.”

“ _You’re older than me, asshole!_ ”

“Hey, Winry,” Al said, in a noble attempt to quell the inevitable bickering. He pointed at a bird on the windowsill. “Whatever happened to my head?”

There was a brief silence as the other three tried to grasp Al’s meaning.

“Oh! You mean your old helmet that a robin made her nest in?” Winry asked.

“Ooohh, yes, Alphonse told me about that! It sounded so cute!” Mei said.

“Huh, I’d forgotten about that. Den was the one to find the nest, right?” Ed added.

“She was!” Winry confirmed. “And honestly, Al, I’m not sure. We could look for it if you like?”

“Nah, that’s ok, I was just curious.” Al leaned back in his chair and hummed. “But, ya know… what about the rest of my old body? Did it all get used?”

“It got melted down at the local blacksmith’s, yeah? We all went,” Ed noted as he gestured to himself, Winry, and Al. 

“Well, almost all of it,” Winry said. “They ended up getting slammed for business that week and only got to the chest and legs. They gave Gran and I the arms back.”

“You’ve had my arms here this whole time and you never told me?!” Al exclaimed, slapping his hands down on the table.

Mei patted her boyfriends reassuringly. “Darling, that sounded very strange.”

“I guess… I didn’t think too much of it? They’re out in the shed, I think. Gran and I keep meaning to take them back to the blacksmith, but just… never got around to it,” Winry rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. “Sorry, Al, I knew it was important to you to help others. We can take a trip to the blacksmith tomorrow, if you like!”

“Well… my old arms can still be used to help people,” Al said decidedly. “If we get them melted down, you can use that metal for Ed’s leg, right?”

There was a small moment of silence, as Al’s words resonated. 

“Al, that’s-” Ed started, but then broke off, his expression soft.

“Hmmm, I think I could use the metal for the front shin plate. It’d depend on the temperment after the arms have been melted though,” Winry said thoughtfully.

Mei said nothing, but gave Al’s hand a light squeeze. Xiao-Mei decided it was an opportune time to jump from Mei’s shoulder to Al's. 

“Well, then, should we take it to the blacksmith’s tomorrow?” Al asked. 

“Ahh, I think they’ve been really busy recently,” Winry said with a slight pout. “Buuuuut….”

“What now?” Ed deadpanned, though his expression was still warm.

“Welllll, I was thinking, since it IS my birthday week-”

“You celebrate birthdays for a whole week here?” Mei interjected. “How fun!”

Winry grinned. “Exactly! So, I was thinking we could visit Rush Valley! I haven’t visited for months, and I’ve been dying to go back! There are plenty of blacksmiths there who would melt the armor for a fair price. But I know you guys basically just got here, and I don’t want to ask everyone to travel even more-” 

“Hey,” Ed smiled. “It’s what we do best.”

\---

They decided they’d go the day after next and spend a few nights there. Winry was beyond excited, and phoned Paninya that night to let her know they’d be visiting. 

“That girl, always runnin’ up our phone bill,” Granny Pinako had huffed as she walked in from gathering vegetables from the garden with Mei.

“Winry is so friendly, I’m not sure she can help it,” Mei chimed.

“That’s about right,” Al said as he and Ed came over to help the two unload ripe tomatoes and peppers from their baskets. 

The click of the phone hanging up was quickly followed by Winry bounding into the main room.

“Thanks again, you’re all the best! This’ll be amazing! It feels good to be moving around again!” 

“You’re not quite ready to settle either then, huh, Winry?” Al teased.

“Not yet! Though, I will, someday,” she replied, with a quick side glance at Ed.

“I love traveling as well!” Mei piped in. “Usually Xiao-Mei is my sole travel buddy, though I love traveling in groups too! How will we get to Rush Valley?”

As Winry went over the train schedule with Mei, Ed shuffled over to Al.

“It’s- you don’t have to feel obligated or anything, you know that, Al,” Ed said, a slight stiffness in his voice at his overthought statement.

“Ed, it’s not out of obligation. It’s what I want. Really,” Al said firmly. 

“Since when are you all cool?” Ed asked, cracking a weak smile. 

“I’ve always been cooler than you, bro.”

Ed chuckled. “I guess you have.”

\---

The morning of the day they’d planned to leave was cloudless and warm, despite the sun having barely risen. The train ride was uneventful, but Mei, excited to visit a new place, was extremely chatty. Al and Winry humored her while Ed tried to catch some extra sleep. 

Before they knew it, they’d pulled into Rush Valley’s station.

“Yooooo!” Paninya greeted them at the platform. “’How’re my favorite disaster brothers?”

“Awful, as usual,” Winry said solemnly before giving Paninya a hug.

“Whatever, your jealousy is transparent as hell,” Ed rolled his eyes.

Alphonse laughed and came in for a hug. “Good to see you too, Paninya.”

“Is everyone in Amestres this mean to each other?” Mei asked seriously. “Shall I be mean as well?”

Paninya burst out laughing. “I like her! It’s nice to meet ya! I’m Paninya!”

“Mei Chang,” Mei said, bowing slightly. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, too!”

“Is- is that a cat?” Paninya asked, pointing at Xiao-Mei, in her permanent position on Mei’s shoulder. 

“Ah, you mean Xiao-Mei? She’s my best friend!” Mei replied.

Paninya looked perplexed, but shrugged it off with a wave at the small panda, who imitated the wave, much to Paninya’s amusement.

“And what’s the deal with Al’s old arms?” Paninya said, now pointing at Ed and Al, who were each carrying an arm.

“Long story,” Winry said. “We’ll fill you in, though!”

“So, how’s it been going, Paninya?” Al asked as the five strolled out of the bustling train station, which was just a few blocks away from Rush Valley’s main square. 

The heat in Rush Valley was unbearable, even in spring. The rainfall had been unusually low, leaving the cracked ground dusty and desperate for moisture. The heat didn’t faze the residents of the town, who were full-swing into their day. Rush Valley had really boomed over the past few years, bringing up the population, business, and economy. It was the opposite of Resembool; harried and rushed in contrast to the peacefulness and monotony of Ed, Al, and Winry’s hometown. 

“Oh, I’ve been dying to tell you all!” Paninya exclaimed, swinging around to skip in front of everyone, before abruptly stopping, turning around, and spreading her arms out wide. “I got a new gig!”

“A ‘gig’?” Mei whispered to Al.

“Yeah, like a job or a duty, something like that.”

“Oh!” Mei clapped her hands. “So _my_ gig is being a princess.” 

Al cracked a smile while Ed started; “Well, not r-” 

“Exactly!” Winry said, effectively interrupting Ed. “What’s yours?” She added, turning back to Paninya. 

“I’m working with a blacksmith now! Learning the trade, all that!”

“That’s incredible!” Al exclaimed.

“Ay, nice,” Ed said.

“I reaaallly wanted to tell you over the phone, but in-person is always better!”

“I’m so proud of you, Paninya!” Winry said, nearly tackling her in a hug in the middle of a street. 

“Aw, thanks, Win!” Paninya said. “That means a lot! I’m really excited for you all to meet my new mentor!”

“But first, we should drop everything off at our hostel,” Ed said. “Al, your arms are kinda heavy.”

Everyone agreed this was the most reasonable plan, and shifted their aimless wandering into a more direct path.

“Everything is so lively, I love it!” Mei exclaimed as they made their way down the bustling streets. Xiao-Mei squeaked in agreement.

“Lively is one way to put it,” Al said, side-eyeing a competitive arm wrestling ring that had gathered near an alley, raucous yelling breaking through the dull hum of the pressing humidity. 

“The vibe of this town is definitely an upbeat one!” Paninya said cheerfully.

“Ahhh I miss living here,” Winry said wistfully as she gazed longingly at the automail shops they were passing as they made their way to the hostel they would be staying at. “I definitely need to visit Mr. Garfiel while we’re here.”

“You should move back! We could be roommates!” Paninya pressed.

“You have your own place now, Paninya?” Ed asked, his tone tinted in surprise.

“Well, you don’t have to say it like _that_ ,” Paninya huffed. “But yeah, I do! It’s just a rented apartment, but it’s a place of my own, so I dig it.”

“It really _has_ been a while since we’ve all caught up, hasn’t it?” Al commented. “You’re doing amazing, Paninya! A solid place to stay is more than Ed and I have for sure.”

“You’re welcome to stay forever with me in Xing, Alphonse!” Mei piped up.

“Ooooh, so forward. You’re a catch,” Paninya said, winking at Mei.

“But I haven’t caught anything…?”

“This is it!” Winry said, stopping in front of their hostel.

After they dropped off their luggage in their room, the group decided that as it was past noon, it was well time to eat. Paninya insisted to treat them all at one of her favorite food stands, and they were able to find a comfortable spot in the shade by a small park closer to the edge of town. Winry and Paninya carried most of the conversation, as Paninya filled in Winry on all of the people and events she’d missed in the year or so since she’d last visited.

“I just can’t believe it’s been so long!” Paninya said as they munched on “the best sandwiches in the Valley!”

“Our business has picked up like crazy!” Winry said. 

“You and your gramma should start a business here!” Paninya said eagerly.

“I’ve told you, Granny is stubborn! She’s never leaving Resembool,” Winry replied.

“Besides,” Al put in. “A lot of people in that area depend on Granny Pinako and Winry! They’d be lost without their expert repairs!”

“Speaking of repairs,” Ed said, only slightly rushed. “We should find somewhere to melt down the arms.”

“Wait, you brought Al’s arms to melt down?!” Paninya exclaimed. “What the hell?”

“I want the metal from my arms to be used as part for Ed’s leg,” Al said.

Paninya blinked.

“Uh…. I guess that sounds kinda weird,” Al followed up, rubbing the back of his neck.

“It’s very noble, my love,” Mei reassured him. Xiao-Mei nodded along with her.

“You brothers are somethin’ else,” Paninya grinned. “In that case, I’d be happy to melt them down for you! I’ve already taken the afternoon off obviously, but I can show you where I work tomorrow morning! And you can meet my mentor! She’s awesome!”

“Sounds like a plan!” Winry said. “Then we have today to shop!”

“Here we go,” Ed groaned.

“We’ll only stop in a _few_ stores,” Winry said, 100% lying through her teeth.

“Oooh, shopping!” Mei said enthusiastically.

“I’m not sure how into these types of shops you’ll be, Mei,” Al said.

As it turned out, anything shiny fascinated Mei (and Xiao-Mei too, of course), so she ended up having a fantastic time venturing through no less than a dozen shops with Winry. The two girls giggled and influenced each other to buy multiple things.

“Darling, when are you ever going to need a screwdriver set?” Al asked tentatively.

“Well, you never know!” Mei said indignantly. 

“Nah, every girl’s gotta have a good screwdriver set,” Paninya added. 

“Here, Al!” Mei said cheerfully, as she handed the bag with the set in it, alongside the five other bags he was already holding, filled with everything from bolts to bracelets. 

“Bein’ a princess definitely has its perks, huh?” Paninya said with a wry grin.

“ _Some_ women don’t need an excuse to spend like a princess _even when they’re not one_ ,” Ed grumbled, weighed down with twice as many bags. 

As if on cue, Winry waved Ed over, eyes glossed over in pure glee as she pointed out small turbo engines in a glass display case. “Wouldn’t you _love_ if I could try and install something like this in your leg?”

“Hell no,” Ed said flatly.

“You’re no fun!”

“Ah, Winry, ignore him. Hey, I owe you a birthday present! What else do you want?” Paninya asked.

“You don’t need to get me anything, Paninya!” Winry said.

“Yeah, really, though,” Ed said dryly, lifting up all the bags he was carrying to make a point.

Paninya laughed. “Ok, but I _did_ see a new book on automail engineering the other day and thought of you…”

Winry’s eyes sparkled.

And so, their afternoon went.

\---

The five concluded their day eating at Dominic’s for dinner. Upon hearing Winry’s birthday was just a couple of days ago, Satera made a cake and they had a mini-celebration for her, much to her joy. 

Winry, Ed, and Al had visited Rush Valley roughly a year after the brothers had returned to Resembool once Al had gotten his body back, and while Winry had been back to visit a handful of times, it had been over four years since either brother had visited. Dominic’s grandson was now in elementary school, and his younger sister was three. While they were all eating cake, Winry recounted the story of Max’s birth to Mei, who listened in rapt attention, eyes glistening in admiration.

“You’re incredible!” Mei said as Winry bounced Amelia on her leg. 

“It was definitely scary at the time, but it was something that had to be done, ya know?”

“Ed and I were pretty useless, so it had to be Winry!” Al added.

“We’re still so grateful,” Satera said warmly. “Any friend of Winry’s is a friend of ours!”

“Except for Paninya,” Dominic cut in gruffly. 

“Hey...!” Paninya started.

“She’s family,” Dominic said before taking a long gulp of tea.

“Ahhh I love you too, you grouch!” Paninya exclaimed.

This led to another conversation about how Dominic had refused to be Winry’s mentor. 

“I haven’t thought about all this in a while,” Ed said thoughtfully after Winry had finished recounting the story, with input from Paninya, Ridel, and Satera throughout. “It’s makin’ me feel nostalgic.”

The night ended with Satera and Ridel sending the four back down the mountainside with the leftover cake, making them promise to visit again before they traveled back to Resembool.

\---

The next morning, Paninya made good on her promise and met Ed, Al, Mei, and Winry bright and early outside their hostel. 

“The walk to the workshop from here isn’t too bad! Less than a mile!” Paninya said cheerfully as she shoved a roll in each of their hands. “Everybody ready? You guys got the arms? Then let’s gooo!”

The morning’s cool air felt leaps and bounds better than the suffocating heat of yesterday, so the walk over really didn’t seem as long. Along the way, Al and Winry seemed to find it amusing to point out the various buildings Ed had destroyed at different points in time, much to his annoyance. 

“We’re here!” Paninya announced, stopping outside a small, two-story building with large red letters painted on the front that read; “Worth’s Forge”.

“This is my new and improved mentor; Valencia Worth!” Paninya announced, leading them all in the building, and gesturing to a women hammering on a large piece of red-hot metal. 

“That’s some introduction,” Valencia snorted, putting down the hammer to stride over. She was a short, muscular women who appeared to be in her 50s. She had a tan complexion, an eyebrow piercing, and dark brown hair that was pulled up in a small bun near the top of her head.

“Don’t you think Dominic’s feelings would be hurt?” Al asked, only half-joking.

“Dominic was relieved to be rid of her,” Valencia cut in.

“Valeennciiiiaaa, you know I’m your favorite! Dominic was never really my mentor, anyway!”

Valencia huffed in exasperation, although a small smile was still evident.

“So, what’d you bring this lot here for, then? I’m assuming it has something to do with those hulking metal arms. But that’s just a guess,” she said dryly. 

“Well, yeah,” Al said sheepishly, while Winry added; “We wanted Paninya to melt them down for us so I could use some of the metal to enhance a prosthetic I need to repair.”

“Ah, you’re an automail engineer?” Valencia asked in interest.

“I am!” Winry said proudly.

This, of course, led to a passionately intense conversation about automail that Ed, Al, Mei, and Paninya eventually zoned out on. Paninya decided it would be a good time to show the other three around the workshop, explaining the different tools as well as the forge itself.

“This is all so interesting!” Mei said. “Paninya, could you make daggers?”

“Why would a princess need daggers?” Paninya asked, an eyebrow raised.

Mei explained exactly why she needed daggers to a very slack-jawed Paninya, who quickly recovered to announce that she would definitely try her best.

“Oooh, maybe if there’s leftover metal from Al’s arms, you could use it to make the daggers, then!” Mei said excitedly. She turned to Al to grasp both of his hands, her eyes slightly teary as she gazed up at him. “Darling, wouldn’t that be romantic? For me to wield daggers made from your arms?”

“In a way,” Al agreed.

“You’re both weird,” Ed deadpanned.

“Coming from _you_!” Mei said loftily. 

“Ed’s definitely the weird one,” Winry said as she came over to the forge with Valencia, despite missing the majority of the conversation.

“You’re an admirable woman,” Valencia said decidedly, patting Winry hard on the back. “Alright then! Paninya, check the temperature of the forge. I’ll go in the storage to get the heavier anvil.”

“That’s it! Paninya, you really just wanted to be a blacksmith so you could smash shit,” Ed said snidely.

“It’s for sure a perk, but really, I think smashing things is _your_ forte, given the way you treat your automail,” Paninya replied, earning her a satisfying high-five from Winry.

She then began to explain the steps of forging, and Winry clarified the size of the piece she would need to replace the front shin plate of Ed’s automail. Ed and Al both chipped in to the conversation by talking about the difference between the types of metal in Al’s armor versus Ed’s automail. Valencia nodded approvingly as she returned with the anvil.

“You lot certainly know your stuff.”

“Blacksmithery has always intrigued me!” WInry said. “It’s about time I learned more about it!”

“Will you have to melt the armor apart to make the smaller pieces needed?” Mei questioned Paninya and Valencia.

“Essentially,” Valencia replied. “We’ll have to melt these down quite a bit. Paninya, can you go grab the larger fuller?”

“Already have it!” Paninya said, holding the tool up.

Ed, Al, Winry, and Mei looked on as the two women began to work, first laying the arms over the already-hot forge. While they waited for the armor to heat, Paninya enthusiastically filled them in on the process they’d be following. 

“How long has Paninya been your apprentice, Ms. Worth?” Mei asked.

“Hmmm… about half a year now, ain’t that right?” Valencia aimed the questions towards Paninya.

“I guess so! Seems like shorter than that, though!” 

Once the armor started to glow a white-hot red, the sharp clanging of the anvil echoed off the walls. The heat in the room began to feel overwhelming, so the four non-blacksmiths excused themselves back outside to cool off in the shade of the alley next to Valencia’s building.

“Hey, Mei, this kinda reminds me of the one I found your idiot of a half-brother in,” Ed commented as he leaned against the cool alley wall.

“Excuse me?” 

“Wait, he seriously never told you how we met?” Ed asked incredulously.

“The nerve!” Al said, shaking his head while Winry laughed.

“How you met who now?” Paninya asked, poking her way around the alley’s corner. “Just came to check on you guys real quick!”

“Ling Yao,” Al said. “Remember, the prince from Xing?”

“Oh, yeah, the guy with the insanely athletic guards! Isn’t he emperor now or something?”

“Yes! And he’s Mei’s half-brother,” Al said.

“Yeah, I kinda figured since you’re a princess from Xing and all,” Paninya told Mei. “Still. _Wild._ ”

“Our lives have definitely been a goddamn trip,” Ed said. “But you know…”

“...Know what?” Winry asked.

“It’s kinda funny… how the places we’ve been, we keep comin’ back to them.”

“Well, you better keeping coming back to Rush Valley!” Paninya said indignantly. “Why wouldn’t you want to come back and visit everyone?!”

“Ed and I definitely used to be more of drifters. Coming back to the same places to visit people; it’s almost like we’re losing our youthful, wanderlust days,” Al said with an air of drama. 

“The best part of a place is the people there with you!” Mei proclaimed, while Winry hummed in agreement.

“This is gonna sound cheesy as hell, but I’m glad to be here with all of you, then,” Paninya grinned. “I should go back in and help out, though! If you guys want to stop by in again in a few hours, we should be done with the piece for Ed’s leg by then!”

“Ah, we can stick around,” Al said. “I can’t thank you enough for this, Paninya, really.”

“Anytime! Just promise to keep comin’ back!” Paninya called over her shoulder as she made her way back to the forge, filled with the type of determined pride that accumulates in particular from the joy of helping out old friends. 

**Author's Note:**

> I really had a lot of fun writing this! Please comment or leave kudos if you enjoyed! :D


End file.
